Sleight Of Hand Read Free

and
gulped half of the beer.
    Two lines furrowed between her brow as she
slipped off the stool and clutched her bag in front of her. "Maybe
I should unpack. Which bedroom is mine?"
    He gestured with the bottle to the nearest
door, watched as she marched to the bedroom, her finishing school
pose firmly intact. He shouldn't have pissed her off. He needed
Sarah to work with him, not against him.
    He glowered at the bottle in his hand, set
the unfinished beer on the counter and followed her. He leaned
against the doorway to watch her inspect the snug, little room.
With her ridiculous boots and her hat still on, she looked like she
hadn't made up her mind to stay.
    "Your feet are going to melt if you don't
take those boots off."
    She gasped and spun around to face him.
    Great going, guy. "You need help with those?"
He nodded at her boots.
    "No. Thank you." She skirted around the edge
of the narrow bed to stand on the opposite side. "Is there a phone
here?"
    "No, but Harvey doesn't mind if you use the
one at the office. You don't have a cell phone?"
    "I gave them up as a bad habit after I lost
my third one."
    "I've been through a few myself." He stopped
and cleared his throat, not believing what he was about to say.
"Listen, if my drinking makes you nervous, I can cut back a bit. I
guess."
    "Thank you." Her gaze brushed against his
before she dipped her head and frowned at her boots.
    "Okay." He rubbed the back of his neck. "When
the snow stops, the restaurant down the road will open for supper.
I think we should go mingle. Harvey says everyone comes out after a
storm."
    "Do all the cabins have two bedrooms?" Her
direct gaze surprised him. Since she'd arrived, she'd avoided
making eye contact with him as much as possible. Which was probably
a good thing, considering each time her jade green eyes locked on
his, he felt a little jolt, like his heart was misfiring.
    "I don't know. Why?"
    "It's hard to believe you weren't expecting
me. The two bedrooms, the honeymoon story; I'm not here for more
than fifteen minutes and you suggest we go mingle with the local
people. Sounds to me like you had everything planned before I got
here." A gleam brightened her eyes.
    So, the pretty lady had a sharp mind to go
with her sexy looks. It made one hell of a combination if a guy
were interested. Which he wasn't.
    "You're here now. I'm dealing with it. That's
all there is to it."
    She searched his face. Whatever she saw must
have reassured her because she shrugged and lifted the curtain on
the window beside her. "I don't think it's snowing as much as it
was."
    He crossed the room to look out at the
remnants of the storm. Standing close to her, he caught a whiff of
delicate perfume. She smelled more spicy than sweet. Like a
concoction from a coffee bar-something with cinnamon and lots of
cream. He swallowed hard. Definitely cream.
    Stick to the business at hand. "I haven't
asked anyone about your father yet. Thought it would be better to
go slow for a day or two, get to know some people."
    When she glanced over her shoulder, he
noticed the faint laugh lines at the corners of her eyes. He
wondered if she laughed much and what she looked like when she
smiled.
    Damn it, he didn't need to know that, just as
he didn't need to know why she'd blushed when he asked her how much
practice she had with lovers.
    "My father liked you a lot. He talked about
you all the time."
    "Talk is cheap," he shot back. "Don't bother
with the malarkey, or whatever it is your father calls it. I got
suckered by him. Don't think the same thing's going to happen with
you."
    And there it was, the endearing, skittish
awkwardness he'd seen in the photos. She looked young and uncertain
and incredibly beautiful as her gaze collided with his, then veered
away. A faint blush touched her cheekbones, crept up to her high,
smooth forehead.
    What if he'd gotten it wrong? She didn't look
capable of telling white lie let alone be an accomplice in a major
theft.
    For one, terrifying second, he